Katie Ledecky, from Bethesda, Maryland, is still a teenager, yet she has won 5 Olympic Medals and 9 World Championships in her sport of swimming! How did she do all of this at such a young age? The secret, according to Katie, is that there is no secret!

For one thing, she started young. Katie followed her older brother into the sport of swimming when she was just six years old. Around that same time, she even met Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympic athlete in history.

Katie feels her success is simply due to her love of swimming, her love of hard work and her love of practice. Her average day of training looks like this:

Wake up at 4 a.m

Swim practice 5-7 a.m.

Out of pool training 11. to 12:00 (3 days/week)

Swim practice 3:30-6 p.m.

In 4th grade, she broke her arm, but still kept swimming, even with a cast on her arm!

Out of the pool, Katie supports many charities, including Shepherd’s Table, Bikes for the World and Wounded Warriors. Her strong Catholic faith is at the heart of her life.

Between her athletic feats, her work ethic and desire to give to others, Katie is a great role model for kids around the world. Check out Katie’s amazing story: